Variations for St. Valentine’s Day

By Ellen Haung, Blunt Scholar 2017

But Rabbi, to whom would she belong

i̶f̶ ̶b̶y̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶i̶n̶t̶r̶i̶c̶a̶t̶e̶ ̶w̶e̶b̶ ̶w̶e̶ ̶w̶e̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶

s̶h̶e̶ ̶l̶e̶a̶r̶n̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶l̶o̶v̶e̶ ̶e̶a̶c̶h̶ ̶m̶a̶n̶ ̶

i̶f̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶r̶y̶ ̶t̶i̶m̶e̶ ̶m̶a̶k̶e̶s̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶a̶ ̶w̶i̶d̶o̶w̶ ̶

a̶n̶d̶ ̶u̶n̶i̶t̶e̶s̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶h̶u̶s̶b̶a̶n̶d̶’̶s̶ ̶b̶r̶o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶s̶ ̶

w̶h̶o̶s̶e̶ ̶w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶s̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶r̶e̶s̶u̶r̶r̶e̶c̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶

without widow & wife as her name? 

To which He replied: 

w̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶d̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶m̶i̶r̶a̶c̶l̶e̶ ̶

o̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶g̶i̶f̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶?̶ ̶T̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶t̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶

a̶ ̶l̶o̶v̶e̶ ̶m̶e̶a̶n̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶l̶i̶f̶t ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶e̶y̶e̶s̶

 ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶b̶u̶i̶l̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶a̶ ̶s̶h̶r̶i̶n̶e̶,̶ ̶a̶ ̶t̶o̶w̶e̶r̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶v̶e̶n̶?̶ ̶ ̶

H̶e̶a̶v̶e̶n̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶g̶i̶v̶e̶n̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶m̶a̶r̶r̶i̶a̶g̶e̶ ̶

n̶o̶r̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶I̶ ̶c̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶e̶a̶r̶t̶h̶ ̶

t̶o̶ ̶c̶h̶o̶o̶s̶e̶ ̶a̶ ̶w̶i̶f̶e̶.̶

When will you understand heaven

is so much more?

better than the love of women

“I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother; you were very dear to me. 

Your love for me was wonderful, more wonderful than that of women.” -2 Samuel 1:26

my soul is bound to yours, I swear it

if only souls could knit together more than flesh and bone. 

what are we to do here in this field

as danger looms its darkening head

as kings who once favored us turn to wrath?

if only sleep and life could last

together, without finality or contradiction. 

if only I could sing and praise away my anger.

if only I could with bow and arrow send bitterness flying

away, and command the servant to fetch back a sense of the world. 

why has the almighty made passions so fragile? 

when I would give my spirit for your safety,

and yet wish your safety were here with me. 

your love for me is better 

than the closenesses given freely to me.

your love for me is more than

planned wives and promised land.

I would swear an after-life into being for you,

or pray my kin know yours for generations to come

I make this covenant with you, all that matters is 

in this moment before you must save your life,

I promise our presence here for eternity.